The present invention relates to an image forming method for printing an image on a tab of a sheet of paper by use of an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine.
The tab refers to a marginal portion of a sheet of paper, which extends off the normal image formation region of the sheet. It is thus impossible to print an image on the tab under predetermined setting modes of a copying machine. To print an image on the tab, the xe2x80x9cimage shift methodxe2x80x9d has been used hitherto, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,622 (corresponding to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 4-298369).
The conventional image shift method will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. In the first place, a user places an original document with a tab (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9ctabbed documentxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctabbed sheetxe2x80x9d) on the document glass of a copying machine. As a second step, the user inputs a paper size by touching an initial menu displayed on the operation panel of the copying machine, thereby setting an image-printing region at a standard-size region. More specifically, when an A4-size original document 2 is used, an image-printing region 4 is set to A4 size, as shown in FIG. 1A. At this time, the image-printing region 4 does not include a tab 3 since the tab 3 is located outside the region 4.
Subsequently, the user selects a tab-printing mode to change the initial menu on the operation panel to a tab-print setting menu. The user inputs the position and size of the tab 3 in a printing-job command on the tab-print setting menu. The position of the tab 3 thus set determines the direction in which the image-printing region 4 is to be shifted. The size of the tab 3 thus set determines the shift amount of the image-printing region 4. As a result, the image-printing region 4 is shifted rightward (X direction) by a distance S, as shown in FIG. 1B, whereby the image-printing region 4 includes the tab 3. The image of the tab 3 is read by a scanner and processed in an image-processing section. The image is printed (copied) on a tab 3 of another sheet of paper (copy sheet) by an image formation section (including light exposure, development, and fixing units) based on the image processing data.
However, the conventional image shift method has the following disadvantages. First, the user must input the shift amount S and the shift direction (position) of the image-printing region 4 through the operation panel every time printing is performed.
Second, if the image-printing region of an A4-size document is shifted by 15 mm, a 15 mm-region having no image printed thereon is left on the sheet at the opposite side to the tab 3.
Third, since the length (along Y-direction) of the tab 3 is not given, the user must prepare an original document so as to print a desired image on the tab 3. In this case, the user also controls the printing position himself. In short, the conventional image shift method requires cumbersome work in addition to the operations performed on the operation panel, reducing practicability (serviceability) of the conventional image shift method.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image formation method having an excellent practicability, which allows the user to directly input an image to be printed on a tab through an operation panel.
The image formation method according to the present invention comprises:
(a) displaying an initial menu on an operation panel, allowing selection of a cassette on the initial menu and pressing of a paper-form setting button to display a second menu;
(b) allowing pressing of a tab button on the second menu to set a sheet-form of the cassette selected above so as to correspond to the xe2x80x9ctabxe2x80x9d, and displaying a third menu;
(c) allowing pressing of a tab-layout button on the third menu to determine a layout of the tab heading to be printed on the tab portion of the paper, and further allowing pressing of an input button to display a fourth menu or a setting button to display a fifth menu;
(d) allowing input of contents of the tab heading on the fourth menu, allowing pressing of an input-termination button to return to the third menu, and allowing pressing of a setting termination button of the third menu to terminate the input of the tab heading;
(e) allowing setting of a tab-size and the number of tabs on the fifth menu, allowing pressing of a setting-termination button to return to the third menu, and allowing pressing of the setting-termination button on the third menu to terminate setting of the tab; and
(f) printing the tab heading on the tab portion of the paper based on the layout of the tab heading, the contents of the tab heading, the tab size, and the number of tabs.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.